


I Understand

by kumarei



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shop, Crossdressing, Homestuck Shipping Olympics, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-24
Updated: 2012-06-24
Packaged: 2017-11-08 10:56:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/442458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kumarei/pseuds/kumarei
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Right before he's about to confess, Dirk sees Jake dressed as a woman. He assumes that Jake is a woman, and has been dressing as a man to get a job at the coffee shop. How will his confession go now?</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Understand

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for Bonus Round 1 of Homestuck Shipping Olympics 2012. It was largely inspired by Coffee Prince.

Dirk and Jake sat on the balcony of the coffeehouse. It was a beautiful summer evening, with a cool breeze and not a cloud in the sky. Even here in the city, the sky was full of stars. It was just like a romance movie, the kind that Jake had seen a million times. Jake was having trouble filling his part, though. He looked at the tiled floor, at the street below, anywhere but at Dirk. Beneath the table he kept tugging nervously on his tan school skirt.

"Yo, bro, it's okay. I understand," Dirk said.

Jake looked up into Dirk's eyes. Despite the breeze, Jake could feel a warmth rising in his cheeks. He wished that he hadn't worn the green sweater over his blouse. It felt hot and itchy, and he had to wrap his hands around the hem of his skirt to keep from scratching. He swallowed, clearing his mouth so he could talk. "You do?" He felt like he was on the verge of tears.

Dirk nodded, but his face remained serious. "You wanted to get a job at the coffee shop, but we only hire young men. So you dressed up as a man to get the job. That's right, isn't it?"

Jake's fingers tightened, pressing his short polished nails into his palm. He looked back down at the table, blinking rapidly, banishing the tears from his eyes. "That's not…"

Dirk interrupted him by reaching across the table and placing a finger on Jake's lips. "Shh," he said. "It's alright."

Jake had meant to offer some argument, to explain to Dirk that he was wrong, but he was distracted by the feeling of Dirk's flesh against his lips. The finger tickled, but not in a way that made him want to laugh. Rather, it was like a jolt of static electricity. He was disappointed when Dirk pulled it away.

"That makes this sort of hard for me," Dirk said, looking away from him. Jake couldn't see his eyes through the shades that Dirk still wore, but he got the impression that if he could, they would be full of sorrow. "I was going to confess to you tonight. I wanted to tell you how I felt about you. I love you bro."

Jake's heart was pounding in his chest. He had thought that he couldn't feel any more dizzy without passing out. Now he found that he could. He felt as if he had been flung off of a high cliff in the middle of the jungle, with a screaming hawk lord swooping down at him while a pride of lions waited at the bottom, mouths wide open.

Dirk continued before he could muster the will to say anything. "It's complicated, though. My attraction traditionally only extends to dudes. Now that I know that you're a different gender, that makes it kinda tough." Jake was going to interrupt him, but Dirk turned back to him. "I'm not saying that I don't have some kind of crush on you, though. You're a woman, but I can't stop thinking about you. Fuck it, I want to try. I'm… Jake, why are you crying?"

For a moment Jake wondered what Dirk meant, but he reached up to his cheek and felt water there. He wiped it off. Crying wasn't right for a ruff n tumble sort like him. His grandmother never would have cried, that's for gosh darn sure. Stiff upper lip.

"Jake," Dirk started. He was interrupted by Jake sniffling loudly, though.

"Friggin heck!" Jake said, a bit louder than he intended. He looked up at Dirk, whose look of hipstery unconcern had been broken by Jake's outburst. "Can't you just listen to me for one second? I've been trying to tell you something and you won't let me get a gosh darned word in edgewise."

"A word in flip-wise?" Dirk suggested, and Jake glared at him. "Sorry, bro. I'll listen."

"You've been so fucking wrapped up in what you were saying that you didn't even bother to make sure it's actually right," Jake said. "Frig it bro. I'm not a woman. I…" Jake stopped and blushed, suddenly self conscious about what he was saying. "I just like dressing up sometimes."

"Oh," Dirk said. Jake waited for him to continue, but Dirk's mouth stayed resolutely shut.

"Well?" Jake asked. He was suddenly filled with a fear that Dirk would reject him. Dirk had confessed to him when he thought that Jake was a woman. Had this changed things all over again?

"Oh," Dirk repeated, and Jake held his breath. "Well, shit. I sort of worked myself up to this. You broke my flow." Dirk cleared his throat.

Jake almost opened his mouth and apologized, but it was Dirk's friggin fault in the first place, so he held back, his anxiety and annoyance growing with each passing moment.

"You want to date?" Dirk asked.

Jake's mouth dropped. "Was that it?"

Dirk shrugged. "Pretty much."

"Well why didn't you just say so?" Jake asked. "We've been working together and having scrums for all this time and I never know how you felt about me. Why didn't you ask me sooner?"

Dirk shrugged. "I'm asking you now. It's not like this shit is completely one sided. If you wanted to, you could have asked me." Dirk paused for a moment. "Do you want to?"

"Of course I do! You've been my bro for as long as I can remember and I can't think of anything better than having official fisticuff dates."

"Great," Dirk said, and he stood and walked across the coffee table, pursing his lips and leaning down to kiss Jake.

"Wait," Jake said, putting his hands on Dirk's shoulders and pushing him away. "Is it alright if I… you know… keep dressing up once in a while?"

"Yeah, of course," Dirk said. He looked away, and contemplated for a second. "Actually, speaking of dress up, have you ever heard of pony play?"

"No. What is it?"

"Oh, nothing," Dirk said. "We can talk about it later."

He leaned down again to kiss Jake, and this time Jake wrapped his arms around his shoulders and kissed him right back. As Dirk's lips pressed against his, Jake felt warmth running down his body. Then there was an explosive jolt, like the sound of two thousand pistols and a wink.


End file.
